There is a new version of CEREC software called CEREC Ortho 1.1. In order for you to receive and use this version, you will need to contact Patterson and get approved to take the training. See the link below.

The instructions for scanning with CEREC Ortho for clear aligner treatment is located in this article.

The below article is for submitting scans with CEREC 4.3 (or whatever version your have) and the CEREC Connect software.

1. Open the CEREC Connect application on your scanner. (You can download CEREC Connect here if it’s not already installed.) Make sure you’re using CEREC Connect, not the regular CEREC software for in-office milling!

2. Click “Add New Patient”. Enter your patient’s full name and date of birth, along with the treating doctor’s name. You can leave the patient’s ID number blank.

3. Click “Add New Case”. Unfortunately, the CEREC system wasn’t designed with clear aligners in mind, so you’ll have to make a few random selections just to get through the Administration phase. You can select any tooth, any indication, any type, any material, and any shade. We won’t use any of this information—you just have to select something to get through the process. It’s not elegant, but it works for now. Once you get through this process for one tooth, click the double arrows (>>) at the bottom of the screen to advance to the Acquisition phase.

4. Scan the teeth. Make sure you capture at least 3-4 mm of clear gingival area, without distortion or gaps. The cleaner and more accurate you can make the scan, the better the aligners will turn out. Once you’ve got nice scans of both arches and a buccal bite, click >> to advance to the Model phase. The scanner will probably spend a couple of minutes generating virtual models.

5. Articulate the models. Feel free to get rid of any unwanted artifacts, but other than that, don’t worry about trimming or drawing margins—all we need are properly-articulated models of the teeth. Once you finish the buccal bite registration, click >> to advance to the Connect phase.

6. Log in to the Connect Portal. If this is your first time logging in, click Register to open sirona-connect.com in a new browser window. After you register, you’ll receive an email from Sirona with a link you need to click to verify your account. Once your account is all set up, return to CEREC Connect to log in with your username and password and click OK. As soon as you log in, your order should start uploading in the background.

7. Add additional information. On the next page, you’ll be asked to select the gender of the patient and add any notes. Don’t rely on this section to tell us important information about the case—you’ll add your actual instructions on ClearComm. If you like, you can use this area to enter the treating doctor’s name (and a case number, if you already have one).

9. Submit your case on ClearComm. This is important—sending us scans through CEREC Connect is just one step in the process. You’ll also need to submit a new case through ClearComm. (Otherwise, we won’t have a prescription, photos, or a lab fee!) When you get to “Impressions or scans,” select “CEREC scan.” It’ll work best if you submit both the case and the scans on the same day.

Note: We only require the upper and lower arch scans because the positional data from the occlusal scan is embedded in the upper and lower files themselves. We know that some scanners generate three files, but since all the pertinent positional data is included in just the two, we don't need the third.

We have had some doctors report success in submitting scans with an older version of CEREC Blue Cam, however CEREC does not currently support this.

Please feel free to share your tips and feedback with us, and ask Sirona if you need help with your scanner.